Bournemouth vs Newcastle preview, team news, prediction, kick-off

Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Bournemouth vs Newcastle in the Premier League on Wednesday (kick-off 6pm).

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Team news

Bournemouth forward Joshua King will undergo a late fitness test ahead of Wednesday evening's Premier League game against Newcastle.

The Norway international could be in contention to feature, despite not having trained since limping off with an ankle problem in the defeat to Crystal Palace on June 20.

Cherries top scorer Callum Wilson begins a two-match ban after collecting his 10th booking of the season in the defeat to Wolves, but midfielder Philip Billing has overcome a dead leg.

Newcastle head coach Steve Bruce will make a late decision on midfielder Matt Ritchie ahead of the trip to his former club.

Ritchie missed Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Manchester City with a soft tissue injury and will be desperate to return against the Cherries, with whom he spent three and a half seasons earlier in his career.

Bruce otherwise has a clean bill of health with brothers Sean and Matty Longstaff having both played a part at the weekend following their respective returns from muscle injuries, while fellow midfielder Nabil Bentaleb is back after being suspended for the cup tie.

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How to follow

Follow the match on Sky Sports Premier League without crowd noise and Sky Sports Main Event with crowd noise from 5.30pm; kick-off 6pm. Also keep up-to-date in our dedicated live blog with in-game clips, as well as highlights published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after full time.

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Charlie's prediction

Newcastle have been ever so good with what Steve Bruce has done. They did get a reality check against Manchester City and tried to squeeze them. Dwight Gayle missed the chance at 0-1 and that was unfortunate, but they will take pride from the way they performed and defended.

Bournemouth will be open and have to go after it. Brighton have created a gap, but what does a draw do for Bournemouth now? They have awkward games coming up too.

I think Bournemouth will edge it. You keep looking at the bottom lot and no teams are getting anywhere, but because of what is happening at Watford and West Ham, Bournemouth will know they cannot keep passing up these opportunities.

CHARLIE PREDICTS: 2-1 (9/1 with Sky Bet)

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Opta stats

• Bournemouth are winless in their last four Premier League meetings with Newcastle (D2 L2), losing the reverse fixture 1-2 earlier this season.
• Both of Newcastle's Premier League defeats against Bournemouth have come at home, with the Magpies unbeaten in their three previous visits to the Vitality Stadium (W1 D2).
• This will be Bournemouth's first ever competitive match played in the month of July, while it's Newcastle's first in the month since 2006, and a 3-0 win against Lillestrom in the Intertoto Cup.
• Bournemouth have lost 15 of their last 20 Premier League matches (W3 D2), a run beginning with a 2-1 defeat at Newcastle on November 9th. From that date, the Cherries' tally of 11 points is the fewest of any Premier League side.
• Newcastle are looking to win consecutive away Premier League games for the first time since January 2018, having won 1-0 at Southampton back in March.
• Bournemouth have kept fewer clean sheets than any other Premier League side this season (4). Of the previous 38 teams to keep the fewest number of clean sheets in a Premier League season (including joint-fewest), only 10 have avoided relegation (26%), most recently Bournemouth themselves in 2017-18.
• Only Liverpool (16) have had more different goalscorers in the Premier League this season than Newcastle (15, excl. own goals). Only in 2004-05 and 2014-15 (both 16) have the Magpies had more different players find the net in a single campaign.
• Excluding penalties, Bournemouth have scored a league-high 48% of their Premier League goals this season from set-piece situations (14/29). Since we have full data for this available (2006-07), only two teams have recorded a higher such share in a full Premier League campaign - Blackburn in 2009-10 (51%) and West Brom in 2014-15 (50%).
• Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle hasn't scored in consecutive Premier League appearances since December 2017 - he scored a brace in his last Premier League game at the Vitality Stadium in the Magpies' 2-2 draw in February 2018.
• Bournemouth's Callum Wilson picked up his 10th yellow card in 30 Premier League games this season last time out against Wolves. In 91 top-flight appearances before this season, he had been booked just three times.

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